#SRCZ LIVE REVIEW // Heavenly 25 at The Kazimier, Liverpool.

Heavenly
Records invades The Kazimier for much musical merriment to celebrate a quarter
decade of releasing some often very heavenly recordings…

If there was avenue in
Liverpool as befitting of the mantle of the venue for Heavenly Records birthday
party then the DIY grown, nationally known The Kazimier is it. On a Sunday of
decidedly intemperate weather we made our way down to the much loved Kaz Garden,
as those in the know refer to it as. As we entered; (fashionably late or on
time? It’s hard to tell on Sunday’s!) We saw the a small crowd beginning to
form as Duke Garwood was setting up on the perfectly DIY stage.

With a voice that we’ve
grown to love, Garwood starts his set with little fanfare. So much so that a
brief dash for some food in the upper seating area almost distracts us from it!
But soon enough we’re on the ground and watching the man himself work through a
set that is performed so relaxedly it’s perfect. The set rarely hits a fast
pace, lingering menacingly in the atmosphere like a hot desert themed daydream.
When it starts to rain few are deterred from their spot, few even flinch. These
are true music fans here! Even an offer from Garwood to the assembled crowd to
join him under the awning of the stage is taken up by few. By this point it was
real rain falling down rather than drops and it made for a perfect accompaniment
to Garwood’s wonderfully atmospheric music, part moody desert road soundtrack and
part wandering Blue’s Man on a journey of the soul.

After an interlude in
which the rain deterred no-one from their spot still, it was the turn of Gwenno
to grace the stage. With a new album due soon in the form of the fascinatingly
brilliant sci-fi concept piece Y Dydd Olaf (The Last Day) the artist was
perhaps anticipated by a few in the audience. Certainly, we were and were not
disappointed. With just herself and her Korg she gave a set that oozed kraut
pop cool as the quite chatty Welsh artist illuminated the accompanying
precipitation with some excellent music. Highlights included the smile inducing
intro she gave herself “Hello I’m Gwenn0. This song is about Patriarchy.” And indeed,
it was if you understood Welsh but for those who didn’t there were the
supremely cool melodies to enjoy if you weren’t conversant in the language. As a
whole a very enjoyable set.

Kid Wave followed after
with a typically charged but by nature more dynamic set as the quartet took to
the stage not by the stealth of Duke Garwood or Gwenno but rather more
noticeably. Their sound was instantly more angular and if there had been a roof
on this particular part of the venue it would have sounded somewhat off. But
given an open sky to work with the set was a good one, the band clearly
enjoying it. One of the best moments
came during the soundcheck when the drummer sang a rather rousing verse of
Simply The Best!

Concluding the activities
in the Garden was the much anticipated premier of what would turn out to be a
rather excellent piece by Stealing Sheep entitled Legs. Those familiar with the
band’s last album, Not Real, will know that legs are a key part of the artwork
for the release and here they do something on that theme. The twenty minute
long (it might have been shorter but it certainly felt like twenty minutes)
Legs was a brilliantly conceived curve ball that worked well. Most people were
expecting to hear some songs from the album perhaps? Well, not this time! An
industrial, almost kraut inspired instrumental was performed by the band,
sipping smirkily on fruit cocktails and wordless throughout as a troop of
dancers dressed in multicolour evocations of the album’s colour scheme performed
a dance routine that was simple but effective.

Legs was indeed a triumph
of a curve ball and as the band walked off stage, cocktails in hand and
grinning cheekily it was the sign of a job well done. Special mention should go
to the excellent Kazimier and the Heavenly DJ who kept the vibes flowing with
some inspired label based sounds we’ll surely be in possession of soon.